Essau Jägers

The Essau Jägers was a unit of Hessians founded in 1775 by Friedrich V of Hesse-Homburg, and commanded by Edelhart von Keller.

History
The Essau Jägers was a regiment of 3,000 Hessians recruited from Hesse-Homburg, named for the Count of Essau, Edelhart von Keller, who was their commander. The regiment landed in New York City in august 1776 and fought in the Battle of Long Island. They consisted of 1,500 men, around 21% of the British and Hessians engaged in that battle, and bore the brunt of the casualties. The rest of the unit landed at Kip's Bay in September and defeated George Washington's militia with relative ease. Essau's troops proceeded to play a role in the fall of Fort Washington later in the year and the Battle of Princeton early in 1777, and served with valor in the major battles of 1777 (Red Bank, Saratoga, Brandywine, etc.). The unit suffered a heavy loss when Keller was mortally wounded at the Battle of Monmouth on 19 June 1778, and Friedrich zu Furst took over command. The unit functioned as a reserve army stationed in New York until the end of the war in 1783, and they were evacuated in March. After their return to Hesse-Homburg the captains were awarded with higher rank and some with land, and the soldiers were rewarded with 10,000 marks by the British.